City of Manchester, Cleansing Department
1805-1985
Archives
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Minutes of the Health Committee 1868-1875; Annual Reports and Accounts of the Cleansing Department 1891, 1949-1968 ( incomplete); Estate papers concerning Carrington and Chat Moss 1805-1966; Directors papers 1906-1985
Related Material:The Local Studies Library holds annual reports for Manchester Medical Officer of Health, 1868-date (614.0942 M4) and Observations on the History of Public Health Effort in Manchester (1923) by James Niven (614.094273 Ni1/a, also on microfilm MF 1194). See also Public Health Committee newscuttings (352 042 M137).
See also:
M371 City of Manchester, Environmental Health Department, Papers relating to infectious diseases and immunisation 1869-1980s
M515 City of Manchester, Environmental Health Department, papers relating to smoke nuisance, licensing, inspections and prosecutions
Place:/Carrington/Cheshire/England
/Manchester/Manchester/Lancashire/England
Title:
City of Manchester, Cleansing Department
Date of work:
1805-1985
Reference number:
GB127.M595
Level of description:
Fonds
Includes:
Custodial history:
On 1 April 1868 the City Council established a Health Committee consisting of the Chairmen of the Committees for Watch, Nuisance, Building and Sanitary Regulations, Lamp and Scavenging, Paving, Sewering and Highways, Markets and Gas, for the townships of Chorlton upon Medlock, Hulme, Ardwick and Cheetham, together with the Mayor and other Manchester councillors.
On 9 November 1890 when the townships of Blackley, Clayton, Crumpsall, Kirkmanshulme, Moston, Newton Heath and West Gorton were added to the City, the Health Department was replaced by the Cleansing Department with responsibility for the enlarged City.
It remained the Cleansing Department until 1990, when it became the Department of Operational Services.
The nineteenth century expansion of the City and its growth in population caused a major problem in the disposal of sewage or night soil.
The townships of Bradford, Harpurhey and Rusholme were added to the City in 1885. This led to the purchase of Carrington Moss in 1886 as a place for the disposal of refuse, at the same time reclaiming the land for agricultural purposes.
Because of the success of this scheme, and the further expansion of the City in 1890, Chat Moss was purchased in 1895.
The waste was conveyed to the Mosses by light railway. The Carrington Moss light railway was built in 1886-1887, and the Chat Moss light railway in 1897-1898. The opening in 1894 of the Manchester Ship Canal, which ran between the Mosses, facilitated the transport of the waste. The Boysnope Wharf, Liverpool Rd., Barton Moss, the operational centre for the Chat Moss Estate, was in use from 14 December 1898.
By the late 1930s, however, the extensive use of the water closet meant that the Mosses were no longer used for the disposal of sewage, and the light railways were sold in 1940.
The Cleansing Department became mainly responsible for the collection and disposal of household and trade refuse.
Source:
The records apart from the Health Committee Minutes, 1868-1875, were deposited in the Library in April 1992 by John Jones, Assistant Director of Operational Services.
Access restrictions:
Unrestricted
Use restrictions:
Unrestricted
General notes:
Arrangement:Arranged chronologically by function
Topics:
Record types:
Manchester Archives and Local Studies
Language:
English
Record number:
7197442
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Total copies: 1